


Solace around the Fire

by ExtremeLight9



Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: Evil Charlie being a jerk to Wolfgang, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:55:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26586223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExtremeLight9/pseuds/ExtremeLight9
Summary: Even if surviving together is hard, the Constant is no place to be alone.
Relationships: Wolfgang & Woodie
Comments: 7
Kudos: 16





	Solace around the Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, this is my first DS fic ever. Been playing DST all summer so I thought of writing something for the fandom.  
> Disclaimer: I don't own the DS games.  
> Enjoy!

Wolfgang felt like wasting away. He and Woodie have been wandering around for days, having left behind their original camp to explore this bizarre land that they were lost in. So far, the lumberjack was the only human Wolfgang encountered since his arrival and honestly, he appreciated the company because he couldn’t imagine being stuck out in this alien world of monsters all alone.

Having used up all their food supply, they were overjoyed to have found a forest after wandering the dry grass fields for so long. Unfortunately for them, the sun was already disappearing down the hills so setting up a camp took priority over gathering food. Wandering the darkness was a near-death wish in this world.

Returning to the problem at hand, Wolfgang lay in front of the fire, a skeleton of his former mighty self. The clothes that once struggled to contain him now barley managed to cover him up. His growling stomach gave one protest after the other.

“Hey, cheer up, pal. Once the sun rises, we’ll get to look around all we want. Sounds great, eh?” Woodie said, caressing his trusty axe. Wolfgang said nothing and curled up further on himself, wincing at the particularly loud growl his stomach made that the lumberjack actually heard.

“Jeez, a feisty little thing,” 

“So hungry…” he moaned.

A look of concern passed over Woodie’s face and he leaned closer, setting a hand on Wolfgang’s head. “Buddy…you’re gonna be okay tonight, right?” he might be worried Wolfgang would actually waste away overnight without food.

Wolfgang hummed miserably. He was probably a sad sight to behold, especially to someone who saw him at his best. Woodie was quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time to the point where Wolfgang glanced up to him confusedly. He looked thoughtful.

“Here’s the plan, I’m gonna go look for something for us to eat,” Woodie said, “There is bound to be food here and there. We’re in a forest for crying out loud,”

Wolfgang was quick to protest. “No! Is fine!” he said, guilt now eating away at him. Even if Woodie would never call him out on it, he knew he was the reason for their dwindling food supplies. Wolfgang ate the share of two people alone just to keep himself from losing his strength. His friend might smile good-naturedly or joke about his mad appetite, but the strongman would catch glimpses of him looking inside his half-empty backpack, scratching his ginger hair anxiously.

 _“Try to take it easy on the food tonight, eh pal? We’re kind of low today,”_ Woodie would say with his usual grin and Wolfgang would feel terrible every time.

Woodie shook his head. “Sorry, buddy. Mind’s already made up,”

Wolfgang watched helplessly as his friend picked up his backpack and took out a torch. The strongman struggled to come up with an excuse to get him to stay, but the lumberjack just hummed merrily as if he was out for a quick walk and not about to head out into the shrouding darkness of the forest.

With no apparent way to stop him, Wolfgang now had to process the new issue at hand. “Wood Man leave Wolfgang alone?”

Woodie shrugged. “Well, one of us has to stay and watch over the camp. We can’t let the place get wrecked while we’re gone, you know,” he eyed him with a quirked brow. “And I don’t think you would rather be the one to head out, would ya?”

Wolfgang shuddered and hugged himself at the thought of wandering the forest with nothing but a meek torch for light. “B-but…what if scary monsters come?”

A shadow fell over the lumberjack’s face at the “scary monsters” bit that caught Wolfgang by surprise. He was quick to recover as if nothing happened though. "Then I guess you will have to grab your torch and run away. Better for us to lose the camp than you, but just in case…”

Woodie picked up the spear and tossed it in his direction. It was such a light toss, yet Wolfgang flailed around to grab it and clung to it like a lifeline. This was once such a deadly weapon in his hands. He could beat up hounds and any monster that came their way with ease. This pathetic state he was in rendered him completely defenseless. He could hardly swing the weapon, let alone fight with it. His face flushed.

“Well, I best be on my way now. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a mo’,” Woodie bent down in front of the fire to light his torch.

“Wood Man will come back. Promise?” Wolfgang felt like a child for asking that, but he wanted anything to hold on to at this point.

Woodie laughed. “I promise. I’ve got my Lucy here, so there’s nothing to be scared of,”

With that, the lumberjack disappeared into the darkness, his torchlight gradually fading until he was out of sight.

Wolfgang stood up and shuffled over to the pile of wood that his friend got for them. He picked up a single log and fed it to the fire. He refrained from tossing more just to put his mind at ease. The circle of light he was in was the only spot in which he could see anything at all. The trees were dark giants, surrounding him from all directions. The wind traveling through the forest sounded like unearthly wails and the leaves it carried looked like ghosts from down below.

To distract himself from his surroundings, he checked through their supplies. There wasn't a whole lot to be found; Wolfgang's backpack which was filled with twigs, flint, and a bundle of grass they got from the fields, a leather water flask, and a sleeping roll that they found lying about in their travels. It was worn from the sun, but it delighted Woodie nevertheless. _“No more sleeping on the ground for us!”_

Wolfgang smiled at the memory, but then panic shot through his veins when a single crack came from somewhere. It was so sudden and unexpected that it froze him in place. The silence that followed was deafening as if he had been spotted and was waiting for the inevitable moment when something would pounce on him.

“Wood Man?” he knew it would be impossible for Woodie to back so soon, yet he didn’t wish to think of the other possibility.

Wolfgang never liked the darkness, even back home. Stories of monsters dwelling in dark places plagued him throughout his life. The fact that this world went out of its way to confirm that fear of his only made it much worse. He remembered once dropping his backpack a bit far from the campfire out of carelessness and rushing over to fetch just as night fell. He was fast on his legs and was confident he could retrieve it quickly. In his hurry to get back into the light, something grabbed him and clawed at his arm. He remembered screaming and struggling to break free until he finally managed to escape its grip and hurry back to the fire. He never set foot in the darkness ever again.

His hand absently reached out for another log and tossed it into the flames. He swallowed, gripping the spear tightly. Remember Woodie’s advice, he thought. If something appeared then grab a torch and run. Yet his pride berated him for even considering leaving their hard-earned belongings and supplies just to flee with his skin intact, especially with how much he cost them already in terms of food.

Movement ahead broke his thoughts and he pointed the spear, trying to will the quivering from his hands. Something was slithering in the shadows, circling him. “Wolfgang is not scared!” He said, yet his legs wouldn’t stop shaking. Eyes darting to the pile of wood, he considered tossing it all into the fire or, better yet, an irrational part of him wanted to set several trees on fire to drive whatever lurked in the shadows back.

It was then Wolfgang heard the last thing he expected; a laugh. It was soft and feminine, undisguised by the wind and the crackling fire. The voice was so sweet and human yet his insides twisted in a way he didn’t think possible from such a simple sound. He looked and looked until he saw an outline; a person so easy to miss. They were dark enough to be invisible in the shadows, yet their outline somehow stood out in the pitch blackness. How long was that person just standing there? Were they there all along?

How long was he being watched?

A white grin tore its way through the person’s face, wide and jagged.

All thoughts of the campfire, the spear, or running away into the pitch darkness fizzled out in his head as a shadowy appendage began to creep from the darkness, massive and could easily encase him.

 _“Come here, dear. It’s alright,”_ the same silky voice whispered. It sounded so close to his ear that it stole his breath away. The arm rose and reached for him.

“N-no!” He swung his spear at it only for the weapon to pass through it, leaving a trail of smoke behind. The arm in return smacked him and sent him tumbling away. He groaned as he struggled to get back up. Slithering sounds crept closer to him, but his vision was dimming little by little. He was gripping onto consciousness by a thread.

A feral screech suddenly came that shook Wolfgang, followed by many more shrieks. It sounded like animals caught in a vicious fight. He saw none of it as he struggled to stay awake.

“Buddy? You alright?”

Regaining consciousness, Wolfgang finally opened his eyes to see Woodie staring down at him while clutching his axe. He looked far more roughed up than when he left. He held out his backpack with a grin. “There wasn’t a whole lot, but got some nuts and berries for ya,”

There was no sign of the crawling darkness or the scary woman. Lip trembling, Wolfgang shot up and threw his arms around him with a sob. “Wood Man!”

“Hey, now. It’s alright. It’s all gone,” Woodie said, patting him on the back. Wolfgang didn’t have half a mind to question what happened while he was out. He was just glad his friend returned. “Now come on, you gotta eat up. Wouldn’t mind one or two myself. My stomach is killing me,”

With the fire burning and his terrors forgotten, for the time being, Wolfgang ate until he restored most of his strength. His body grew in size and his muscles puffed up. Soon he was towering over the lumberjack again.

Woodie whistled. “Never gonna get used to that,”

Wolfgang’s face fell and he stared at the fire. “Don’t. Wood Man must leave Wolfgang,”

“Huh? What are you going on about?”

“Wolfgang makes things hard,” he sighed. “Is better to go,”

“Now hold up, no more of that. I’m not going anywhere, eh? We’re pals!” Woodie said firmly then his face softened. “And don’t go talking like I’m the easiest guy to be around, with how much trouble I get into with tree monsters and whatnot. Who's gonna be there to bail me out when an entire forest comes for my hide? Who’s gonna listen to my dumb jokes and mad ravings?”

Wolfgang found himself smiling a little.

“If things do get tough again, well, we’ll manage somehow,” Woodie grinned, “And I said it before and I’ll say it again, if we get out of this nightmare hole one day, I will definitely come to see one of your troupe’s shows. Where did you say you’re from? France? Russia?”

Wolfgang rose and picked up the smaller man into a crushing hug, swinging him around. “Of course! Mighty Wolfgang make sure of it!”

“Whoa, take it easy on my bones, eh!”

**Author's Note:**

> Since Woodie’s curse protects him from darkness, I figured he would have better odds at surviving an encounter with Charlie than other characters. Anyway, I enjoy the dynamic these two have and like the idea of Woodie being afraid of people finding out about his curse, especially Wolfgang who is terrified of monsters.


End file.
